correlation between million mile trucks & HDEO use

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Hessam

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I was reading a thread on BITOG which pointed me to this link about a million mile truck:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSunY_w957Q

I started clicking on several other youtube links about million mile cars/trucks, and noticed that many million mile vehicles happen to be trucks. This got me to thinking is this because HDEO use is more prevelant among truck owners, as opposed to "regular" car owners?
 
Totally different engines as HerrStig points out.

Even to just start with the RPM differences would point to the smoking gun, nevermind lubricant used...
 
I believe it's because those OTR trucks run almost continuosly, rarely shutting off. And their precentage of highway miles is very high compared to most regular cars and trucks. And as Herrstig said the construction is very different. i.e. extrememly robust.
 
Well being the video and truck in question is a pickup truck,you really must like that truck to keep it for that long. Alot of fuss was made over the motors longevity, but what about the rest of the truck?. It's been my experience that once a vehicle gets over 200k miles on it, the truck as a whole starts wearing out. Springs sag, rubber gromets and bushings dry out and fail, the hinges on doors, hoods and tailgates get loose and sloppy. The seats either rip and tear, or just get worn out and uncomfortable.The steering gets that loosey goosey feeling, And if your lucky you won't get any holes rusted thru the floors. I wonder how many oil pan drain plugs have worn or been stripped out in over a million miles? General wear and tear items would have to be replaced anyway on any vehicle thats driven, but it must seem like there's always something to spend your money on for a vehicle with a million miles on it.,,,
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Well being the video and truck in question is a pickup truck,you really must like that truck to keep it for that long. Alot of fuss was made over the motors longevity, but what about the rest of the truck?. It's been my experience that once a vehicle gets over 200k miles on it, the truck as a whole starts wearing out. Springs sag, rubber gromets and bushings dry out and fail, the hinges on doors, hoods and tailgates get loose and sloppy. The seats either rip and tear, or just get worn out and uncomfortable.The steering gets that loosey goosey feeling, And if your lucky you won't get any holes rusted thru the floors. I wonder how many oil pan drain plugs have worn or been stripped out in over a million miles? General wear and tear items would have to be replaced anyway on any vehicle thats driven, but it must seem like there's always something to spend your money on for a vehicle with a million miles on it.,,,
I don''t think we are talking about million mile pickup trucks. here, unless Mac and Kenworth make them.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
There's a slight difference in the engine construction.


could you please expand on what you mean by slight difference in engine construction. So you're basically saying that a basic GM small block will have a longer life cycle in a chevy truck than a chevy sedan/coupe?

There were several buick engines that were used in SUV's/trucks in the past.. so those buick engines were built slightly differently for the truck application? what are the differeces that make the truck applications of the same basic engine design last longer than cars?

I guess the general consensus is that HDEO is not really a major factor, if any...
 
Differences... RPM, Compression Ratio, mass, intended design...

This really isn't apples to apples with lubrication being the only difference.

It is like comparing a bicycle's chain lubrication to that on a motorcycle, and wondering why the bicycle... Well, you know...
 
Semi truck engines rarely have a problem making it to over 1 million miles. I have taken 3 trucks over 1 million without a major engine repair. One of them to 1.4 million on Kendall 15w40 conventional HDEO and sold it and it went right to work of the next owner.

Yeah, heavy diesel engines are quite another deal than the typical consumer vehicle engines. Like almost $30K a pop if you get one, depending on brand and size, and that is without the core charge. Unlike what was stated about them rarely shutting off, that is quite untrue. Fuel costs too much to let them idle all the time and it can really play havoc on the newer emissions junk they have on them now. 1 gallon per hour of idling time over a year is a hefty amount of money no owner or fleet can justify. Idling is kept to a minimum. Most all OTR trucks will be shut off for breaks and downtime. I shut my trucks down every night, winter or summer. There are still some holdouts who will unnecessarily idle for extended periods. And they belly ache about how they can't make any money trucking.
 
OTR trucks spend most of their running lives at operating temps.Proper operation and care is a must though. An engine at operating temps has the lowest amount of wear at any given operating loads. Back in the late 1960s to middle 1970s 500,000 miles was refresh time and 600,000 miles was wow!
 
There are plenty of gasoline fueled million-mile vehicles from many popular brands. And while many are trucks, not all are. Sure - diesels are designed for long lifecycles. But gassers can do very well also.

Most folks don't push their equipment far enough to render such results.

There are fine examples of high-mile vehicles using typical PCMOs, too.

However, there are not nearly enough samples of million-mile vehicles to do a real study on them; it's just anecdotal for now.


The key to longevity is a dedication to a good maintenance routine; that is what you'll find in common among high-mileage vehicles.
 
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You bet! I have seen several gas engines in commercial vans and pickups that have broken the 500K mark, with a few that have even bumped the 1 million mark. And as you stated, they did it on a PCMO oil. Makes me wonder why the OEM's don't capitalize on any of this info for marketing purposes.
 
Originally Posted By: Hessam
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
There's a slight difference in the engine construction.


could you please expand on what you mean by slight difference in engine construction. So you're basically saying that a basic GM small block will have a longer life cycle in a chevy truck than a chevy sedan/coupe?

There were several buick engines that were used in SUV's/trucks in the past.. so those buick engines were built slightly differently for the truck application? what are the differeces that make the truck applications of the same basic engine design last longer than cars?

I guess the general consensus is that HDEO is not really a major factor, if any...


trucks are work vehicles, and therefor don't get discarded until properly broken while cars get replaced when they get tatty.
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
There are plenty of gasoline fueled million-mile vehicles from many popular brands. And while many are trucks, not all are. Sure - diesels are designed for long lifecycles. But gassers can do very well also.

Most folks don't push their equipment far enough to render such results.

There are fine examples of high-mile vehicles using typical PCMOs, too.

However, there are not nearly enough samples of million-mile vehicles to do a real study on them; it's just anecdotal for now.


The key to longevity is a dedication to a good maintenance routine; that is what you'll find in common among high-mileage vehicles.


Thank you for a typical well-reasoned response.

I have pursued the goal of finding the infinitely long lasting truck for nearly 45 years now. All major brands of trucks, all major brands and some boutique oils, bypass filtration, you name it. We tried them all.

What works the best is a well thought out maintenance plan implemented with a bit of precision.

Just sold our oldest van with well over half a million miles on it. No smoke, no leaks, no consumption. Still working daily up North of me. I have no doubt that vehicle may go a million miles if cared for...
 
OTR trucks are a tool that is meant to do one job. The manufacturers pour all of their R&D into their product. It's also a competitive and usually loyal brand market as well to people who depend on that investment to make money.

The consumer car market is a disposable one for the most part. The manufacturers know that most people don't depend on the car for a living. If it breaks a rental is close at hand.

I think owner attention has a bit to say as well. For example companies that depend on the vehicle for livelihood usually fix things as they go, very meticulous about the maintenance etc. They know the vehicle inside and out.

Most of the time when you see extreme high mileage cars near or million plus miles on them have owned the car since new, they are passionate about the car, they are meticulous about the maintenance etc. They know the vehicle inside and out. Usually these longer lasting examples we read about have a track record of being reliable to begin with for years on end. You don't see too many high mileage 1979 Olds Cutlass Supreme Diesels or 1987 Yugo that broke any records.
 
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
There are plenty of gasoline fueled million-mile vehicles from many popular brands. And while many are trucks, not all are. Sure - diesels are designed for long lifecycles. But gassers can do very well also.

Most folks don't push their equipment far enough to render such results.

There are fine examples of high-mile vehicles using typical PCMOs, too.

However, there are not nearly enough samples of million-mile vehicles to do a real study on them; it's just anecdotal for now.


The key to longevity is a dedication to a good maintenance routine; that is what you'll find in common among high-mileage vehicles.


noted... so what would be the top 5 or 10 engines in the past 30-40 years that have really separated themselves from the rest of the pack as far as at least having million mile potential with proper maint.

chevy 350 small block
toyota 22RE
VW air cooled engines

are few that come to mind in the regular passenger car category
 
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Originally Posted By: Hessam
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
There are plenty of gasoline fueled million-mile vehicles from many popular brands. And while many are trucks, not all are. Sure - diesels are designed for long lifecycles. But gassers can do very well also.

Most folks don't push their equipment far enough to render such results.

There are fine examples of high-mile vehicles using typical PCMOs, too.

However, there are not nearly enough samples of million-mile vehicles to do a real study on them; it's just anecdotal for now.


The key to longevity is a dedication to a good maintenance routine; that is what you'll find in common among high-mileage vehicles.


noted... so what would be the top 5 or 10 engines in the past 30-40 years that have really separated themselves from the rest of the pack as far as at least having million mile potential with proper maint.

chevy 350 small block
toyota 22RE
VW air cooled engines

are few that come to mind in the regular passenger car category


Million miles without a rebuild?

SBC?
No
Toy 22RE?
Might be possible
Air cooled VW?
Not on any planet in this universe
 
There are so many 1400CC and 1600CC old school VW bugs out there in the world with way more than million miles on the clock... those engines are so simple, underpowered and pure...

the chevy small block also has plenty of documented million mile cars/trucks...(youtube has plenty of examples of them)
 
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